Some of the best things Teddy and I have found together have been almost completely by mistake.
A mortuary in Singapore converted to a French restaurant, an Italian spot in an alley in San Francisco, The Campbell Bar tucked away in a corner of Grand Central Station, and the Skylight Gardens in LA’s Westwood neighborhood, to name a few, have been delightful surprises.
A few years ago, we found ourselves with a little more time to travel. Planning became more important. But we’re tricky beasts.
We’re both a little contrary and have a bedrock opposition to packaged tours of any kind.
Our children all being adults, we no longer endure theme parks or other lies about Fun for the Whole Family.
We do not camp.
Teddy thinks throwing gobs of money (not that we have them to toss) at trips shows a lack of imagination. Yet he is an aficionado of soaking tubs and can be finicky about his pillows.
So as designated planner for our comings and goings, I have my work cut out to find places to go that fit the bill in both senses of the word.
While there are thousands of travel websites, very few seem geared towards our demographic. Older but not old. Big tourist attractions? Already seen most of what we want to. Neither of us can stand crowds. We are able to travel in the off-season and have a bit of disposable income. Our modus operandi is to set a few guideposts on vacations and otherwise make it up as we go along.
Most of all, we want our trips to have stories that come from a true sense of place and genuine connections with what we encounter.
Over time, I’ve panned some gold in my research that I’m happy to share with like-minded travelers. I hope readers of The Replete Life find things here to do and things to dream about doing.
I’d also love to include your stories of travel wherever you may go, whether it’s far and wide or just around the corner.